Stocks ripped higher in the first three months of the year amid investor bets that the US economy remains on solid footing. Now, the key debate on Wall Street entering the second quarter is whether the S&P 500 (^GSPC) has any more room to run after its best start to a year since 2019. The market rally has broadened … Read more
The early months of 2024 have certainly brought a series of excellent market days for investors. With the S&P 500 setting multiple new records so far in 2024, many investors are feeling increasingly optimistic about putting cash into stocks compared to several months ago. Wall Street has a habit of slipping into a bear market … Read more
When I buy a stock, I try to remind myself that I am buying a small part of a business and that I intend to hold my stocks for the long term. Warren Buffett famously said that his favorite holding period is forever. While that’s aspirational more than anything, it’s an important reminder that success … Read more
The stock of Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW) just can’t seem to stop falling. After dropping 53% in 2022, it did even worse in 2023 when it dived by 56%. And thus far in 2024, it’s down around 18% — and if not for a recent rally, its decline would be even more significant. Investors … Read more
The “Magnificent Seven” stock club is almost a year old now, and some of the predictions that originally inspired it are playing out as expected. The “baby bubble” that Bank of America analyst Michael Hartnett foreshadowed in May 2023 is losing some air. I’m looking at you, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). The … Read more
“She owns her home outright in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is valued at over $1 million.” – MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto Dear MarketWatch, Most Read from MarketWatch I, like many older millennials, am trying to help my mother navigate her retirement. We are blessed to be in the place we are in, but could … Read more
A commodity-focused business like Uranium Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: UEC) can be very volatile. That’s not surprising when you consider that the product it sells, uranium, is a bit volatile. Uranium Energy’s 90% or so stock price gain over the past year is largely related to the rise in uranium prices. But there’s so much more … Read more
For the lion’s share of this decade, volatility has ruled the roost on Wall Street. Beginning in 2020, all three major stock indexes began vacillating between bear and bull markets in successive years (not including 2024), with the growth stock-focused Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) seeing the largest percentage swings. After losing a third of its … Read more
Just a handful of mostly tech-focused companies have contributed the bulk of the S&P 500‘s year-to-date (YTD) gains. But that doesn’t mean tech is the only sector winning in 2024. In fact, the energy, materials, industrials, utilities, and financial sectors are all beating the S&P 500 over the last month. Meanwhile, communications, financials, energy, and … Read more
Social Security can generate real income. The more you earned during your working life, up to each year’s income caps, the more you receive in benefits during your retirement. In 2024, someone with maximum credits who waits until age 70 will receive almost $60,000 per year in benefits. But, as always, more money means more … Read more